Best of the Fest

The Raindance 20^th Film Festival has only a few days left. If you’ve missed it so far, you’ve really missed out. But fear not! Here’s a recap of the best of the fest so far and some of these will be repeated in the next few days.

5.  Shorts.

Raindance has always nurtured and supported short films even finding some of them avenues of release when others have shunned them. The short films shown previously have launched careers and this year is no different. If you missed a program don’t you dare miss the rest. With 3 more shorts programs still showing, be sure to catch High Octane City which repeats in around 20 minutes (hurry!). You won’t be disappointed and if you can’t make that then catch the repeats of Best International Shorts and Gone Astray. I’m still reeling from wondering what the hell happened in ‘Fangst’, the amorous anarchy of ‘Romance’, the sweetness of ‘Superhero’ and the return of Ralph Macchio (from The Karate Kid) in ‘Danko Jones’. Seriously, do yourself a favour and don’t miss any more.

4.  Bill Martell’s Workshops.

Less a lesson in craft and more a jovial discussion with interesting facts, Bill Martell provides great fuel for writers’ fingers to get them tapping away. Particularly if you have the idea and are exploring a genre. ‘Jaws’ was recently released on Bluray and no-one’s come close to recreating the terror since. Bill knows and explains why as well as goes through why the first ten pages of a script are crucial to hooking a producer, investor and filmgoer and right now he’s talking about the “found footage” phenomenon which is about to burn up the charts with “Sinister” and “Paranormal Activity 4”. Some would say Bill’s inside knowledge is an omen of things to come. Don’t miss these if you’re writing. The sessions are every day and cheaper than chips.

3.  Confine.

Low budget, taut thriller that’s high in tension, unpredictable and has great performances by Daisy Lowe and the lovely Eliza Bennett (currently ruling the stage in Loserville). If you want a great indie low-budget thriller starring the stars of tomorrow, look no further. Confine satisfies on every level. Sadly you can’t catch this film anymore, but you’ll probably read more about it later when its released and kick yourself for not watching it at it’s world premiere at Raindance.

2.  Banaz – A Love Story… and other documentaries.

The documentaries this year at Raindance have outdone every year gone by without a doubt. From ‘The Lottery of Birth’ and ‘Trashed’ which got fantastic receptions and awakened audiences to a world before them that they couldn’t see even with their eyes prized open (and have been called “life changing” by some audience members) to ‘Despite the Gods’ which puts the term “reality TV” to shame, documentaries are eye openers you can’t miss. ‘The Hidden Hand’ will expand your world beyond the earth today and the one on the man in black, Johnny Cash, showed the timeless icon like never before by someone who knew him extremely well. Banaz a Love Story has affected me deeply because the topic is something completely unexplainable yet presented so brilliantly by a new filmmaker who goes the extra mile for the cause of highlighting an honour killing which should never have happened. Mistakes by the authorities are highlighted, a young woman’s life is taken and documentary filmmaker Deeyah is granted unprecedented access to get to the bottom of the story and how it unfolds in a hope to spread a message that will make sure it never happens again.

There’s still more to come including one on the sex trade industry, one on the banjo and another on couch surfing. Just let’s forget about ‘Sunset Strip’.

1.  Dark Hearts.

This delightfully delectable dark comedy horror is the highlight of the festival so far. Breakout performances, a star is born in Sonja Kinski, Kyle Schmid is superb and the soundtrack makes you feel you’re in the film. Definitely the film of the festival so far, ‘Dark Hearts’ delivers on every level.

There’s still so much to see. What are you waiting for?